Hylaeus alcyoneus
species of insect
Hylaeus alcyoneus, commonly known as the banksia bee, is a species of solitary bee in the family Colletidae. It is common in coastal regions of southern Australia. Both sexes are mostly black with a metallic blue abdomen. It is usually found on or near Banksia flowers, but it will visit other flowering species in eastern Australia. In areas with high honeybee densities, the banksia bee produces less nests due to competition for floral resources.
Taxonomy
The banksia bee was originally described by German entomologist Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek halcyon (meaning “kingfisher”), relating to the kingfisher-blue colour of the abdomen. The common name refers to the species’ particular fondness for visiting banksia flowers. It is the only species in the subgenus Macrohylaeus, as proposed by Charles Michener in 1965.
Description
This is a relatively large and robustly-built species of bee, measuring 8.5-12mm in length.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Hylaeus alcyoneus” as species of insect. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of insect. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2799202. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1842 and 1965.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hylaeus alcyoneus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.